GCoD: Graph Convolutional Network Acceleration via Dedicated Algorithm and Accelerator Co-Design
Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) have emerged as the state-of-the-art graph learning model. However, it remains notoriously challenging to inference GCNs over large graph datasets, limiting their application to large real-world graphs and hindering the exploration of deeper and more sophisticated GCN graphs. This is because real-world graphs can be extremely large and sparse. Furthermore, the node degree of GCNs tends to follow the power-law distribution and therefore have highly irregular adjacency matrices, resulting in prohibitive inefficiencies in both data processing and movement and thus substantially limiting the achievable GCN acceleration efficiency. To this end, this paper proposes the first GCN algorithm and accelerator Co-Design framework dubbed GCoD which can largely alleviate the aforementioned GCN irregularity and boost GCNs' inference efficiency. Specifically, on the algorithm level, GCoD integrates a divide and conquer GCN training strategy that polarizes the graphs to be either denser or sparser in local neighborhoods without compromising the model accuracy, resulting in graph adjacency matrices that (mostly) have merely two levels of workload and enjoys largely enhanced regularity and thus ease of acceleration. On the hardware level, we further develop a dedicated two-pronged accelerator with a separated engine to process each of the aforementioned workloads, further boosting the overall utilization and acceleration efficiency. Extensive experiments and ablation studies validate that our GCoD consistently outperforms state-of-the-art designs in terms of accelerator efficiency while maintaining or even improving the task accuracy. Additionally, we visualize GCoD trained graph adjacency matrices to better understand its advantages. All codes and pre-trained models will be released upon acceptance.